Two oil tankers from the United Arab Emirates were struck by Iranian drones Thursday while navigating the Strait of Hormuz, according to UAE authorities.
The UAE Foreign Ministry blamed Iran for the attacks on the vessels, which are managed by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company, ADNOC. The ministry described the strikes as an act of piracy by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
No casualties were reported, but the attacks point to the dangers facing commercial vessels traveling through the critical waterway.
“Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the UAE Foreign Ministry said, calling the attacks a “flagrant violation” of the U.N.’s principles of freedom of navigation.
“The UAE further stressed the need for Iran to halt these unprovoked attacks, ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in order to safeguard regional security, and maintain the stability of the global economy and trade,” the ministry continued.
The strikes come as the United States and Iran remain locked in tense negotiations over the future of the Strait of Hormuz amid the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway connecting the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Iran has the largest coastline along the strait, giving Tehran a strategic position over one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Before the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran began, roughly 20% of the world’s gas supply passed through the strait, though commercial traffic has fallen significantly since the conflict began.
President Donald Trump floated Friday that he wants to make the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory as his administration grapples with higher energy prices and quickly approaching midterm elections.
Speaking in New York, Trump said, “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”
Trump says ‘pretty soon’ he’ll declare the Strait of Hormuz a ‘territory of the United States’
“We’re doing really good. We’re doing good in every way,” Trump said. “You know, I built the military, and now I used it a little bit more than I wanted to, frankly, but that’s OK because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump has repeatedly defended the administration’s military campaign against Iran, arguing that the strategic objectives of the war justify the economic costs, including inflated energy prices.